Student Development Theory Evolution: A collections of theories related to college students that explain how they grow and develop complexity in college. (Student Development in College, 2016, Patton et al.).
By AudraFrick
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1920's Guidance Movement
Colleges and universities provided vocational guidance as students sought occupational security in business and industry, aka jobs (p. 9). -
Assessment Tools Needed
Representatives from 14 higher education institutions met to discuss vocational guidance problems, post-WWI. -
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Critical Theory
Critical theory assumes that power and systems of oppression shape reality. Beginning in 1930's Germany by sociologists, critical theory has given way to feminist theory, Black feminist theory, critical race theory, indigenous theories, critical trans politics and intersectionality (p.12). -
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1937-1949 Student Personnel Point of View
Post-WWI led to increased enrollment which brought about special assessment tools. This led to American Council of Education to note that it was the responsibility of higher education to guide the "whole person" to reach their potential and better society (p.10). -
Theorist: Erikson
Erikson's eight stages of psychosocial development include trust vs. mistrust, autonomy vs. shame/doubt, initiative vs. guilt, industry vs. inferiority, identity vs. role confusion, intimacy vs. isolation, generativity vs. stagnation, and integrity vs. despair. Source: https://courses.lumenlearning.com/teachereducationx92x1/chapter/eriksons-stages-of-psychosocial-development/ -
Theorist: Jean Piaget
Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development suggests that children move through four different stages of mental development. His theory focuses on understanding how children acquire knowledge and intelligence.
Piaget believed that children take an active role in the learning process, acting much like little scientists as they perform experiments, make observations, and learn about the world. Source: https://www.verywellmind.com/piagets-stages-of-cognitive-development-2795457 -
1960-1970's Formal Statements Emerge
COSPA and ACPA began to re-conceptualize the role and mission of student affairs and pushing for the developing of the whole student to be an institutional priority. (p.11) This led to defining the role of these professionals to include closing the gap between theory and practice when helping students reach their developmental goals. (p.11) -
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1960-1970's Early Student Development Theories Developed
Student affairs and higher education shifted post-Vietnam War as the student body shifted from white males to include women and POC (p.12). Student affairs professionals recognized the limitations of the early theories in addressing diverse experiences of gender, race, ethnicity in higher ed as they primarily addressed white males from private institutions (p.13). -
Theorist: Heath, R.
Focused on maturation in college students (p.12). -
Theorist: Marcia
Built upon Erikson's work to investigate identity development in adolescence (p.13). -
Theorist: Nevitt Sanford
Process of development as a function of cycles of differentiation and integration and of the need to balance adequate challenge with adequate support (pp. 12, 35). -
Theorist: Perry
Introduced a cognitive-structural theory of intellectual and ethical development of college students -this was used extensively in student affairs practice (p.13). -
Theorist: Heath, D.
Focused on maturation of college students (p.12). -
Theorist: Kohlberg
Kolb’s Theory of Experiential Learning
Defined learning as the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience of experience. Learning is a four stage cycle
Concrete experience: a feeling dimension
Reflective observation: a watching dimension
Abstract conceptualization: a thinking dimension
Active experimentation: a doing dimension -
Theorist: Feldman & Newcomb
Delineated the impact of peer group influence on individual students, including helping students accomplish family independence, facilitating the institutions intellectual goals, offering emotional support to students, etc. Their book: The Impact of College on Students was an important addition to the field of student affairs (p.12). -
Theorist: Chickering
Chickering’s Theory of Identity Development
Book: Education and Identity
Seven Vectors: Developing Competence
Managing Emotions
Moving through Autonomy to Interdependence
Developing Mature Interpersonal Relationships
Establishing Identity
Developing Purpose
Developing Integrity -
Theorist: Cross
Model of Psychological Nigrescence Nigresescence is a “resocializing experience” in which the healthy individual’s identity is transformed from one of non-Afrocentrism to Afrocentrism to Multiculturalism. It happens in five stages
Preencounter
Encounter
Immersion-emersion
Internalization
Internalization-commitment (p.13) -
Theorist: Banning & Kaiser
Introduced a campus ecology model which focused on the interaction of the student and the campus setting (p. 13). -
Theorist: Atkinson, Morten & Sue
Minority Development Model - a model of racial identity development. -
Theorist: Myers
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator:
Introvert-Extrovert
Sensing-Intuition
Thinking-Feeling
Judging-Perception -
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1980-1990's: Psychosocial & Cognitive Structural Theories
Increase in theories built on earlier psychosocial and cognitive-structural theories but with a continued emphasis on addressing experiences and development of an increasingly diverse student population. Specifically around the order and sequence of student identity development (p.14). -
Theorist: Kegan
Introduced a lifespan model of development that takes into account affective, interpersonal, and cognitive processes. Kegan focused on the evolution of self and how individuals make sense of their world, particularly their relationship with others (pp.15-16). -
Theorist: Belenky, Clinchy, Goldberg & Tarule
Women’s Way of Knowing
Refers to the different ways of knowing as “perspectives” rather than stages. Categories may not be fixed, exhaustive or universal but are intentionally abstracted. The study of women at diverse ages, circumstances and outlooks and developed five ways in which women see the world.
1. Silence
2. Received knowledge
3.Subjective knowledge
4. Procedural knowledge
5. Constructed knowledge -
Theorist: Josselson
Josselson’s Theory of Identity Development in Women: Foreclosures
Identity Achievements:
Moratoriums:
Identity Diffusions: -
1990's: Social Identity Theories
Theories grounded in the socio-historical context of the US emerge. These social identity theories examine the development of dominant and nondominant identities; privilege vs oppression (p.15). These social identity theories are present in contemporary student development conversations today. -
Theorist: Baxter Magolda
Baxter Magolda’s Model of Epistemological Reflection Absolute knowing
Receiving knowledge
Mastering knowledge
Transitional knowing
Interpersonal knowing
Impersonal knowing
Independent knowing
Interindividual
Individual
Contextual knowledge -
Theorist: Reisser & Chickering
Together revised Chickering's book Education and Identity to include updates to order and sequence of study identity development (p.14). -
Theorist: Gilligan
Gilligan’s Theory of Women’s Moral Development Orientation to individual survival
Transition from selfishness to responsibility
Goodness as self-sacrifice
Transition from goodness to truth
The morality of nonviolence -
Theorist: King & Kitchener
Knowledge is absolute & can be secured by observation.
Knowledge is certain but may not be immediately accessible.
Knowledge come from authorities & when it is uncertain, personal beliefs can be legitimate.
Knowledge is uncertain.
Knowledge is contextual & subjective since only interpretations of facts may be known.
Knowledge is constructed into individual conclusion about problems.
Knowledge results from a process of reasonable inquiry involving construction of solutions. -
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Integrative Approaches to Psychosocial, Cognitive and Affective Development
Contemporary theorists maintain that it is not possible to separate cognitive and affective aspects of development and explore cognitive and psychosocial dimensions of identity and how these are interwoven through life (p. 15). Social identity (ethnicity, race, gender, sexual, religious...) integrate to create a whole (p. 15). -
Theorist: Rest
Introduced a neo-Kolbergian theory of moral development that is less rigid and more concrete that Kolberg's 1976 model (p.14). -
Theorist: McEwan
Social Identity theory which examines the development of dominant and nondominant identities. -
Theorist: Baxter Magolda
Learning Partnerships Model - makes explicit links between student development theories (self-authorship) and applications in curricular and co-curricular settings (p.16). -
Theorist: Torres, Jones & Renn
Social Identity theory which examines the development of dominant and nondominant identities plus examining how individuals move through stages of increasing complexity with regard to their self-evaluation (p.15).
